Page 48 of Heart of the Villain

“Whatever is going on between the two of you, figure it out. Get in the ring.” Bridger pointed to the middle of the room, where a circular one-on-one fighting ring sat.

Marlena and Ivelle didn’t even have time to walk across the room before Vega was rolling her eyes at her sister’s presence.

It’d been over a week since their fight in Vega’s bedroom, and they hadn’t hashed out their disagreement about Vega’s life and how Bridger fit into it. In fact, they had barely talked.

Meaning, Marlena hadn’t been able to see Arlet either. She was busy. The months leading up to the transition of a Curia seat were exhausting. Even if Marlena weren’t also planning on overthrowing the current government, she would’ve been busy.

Every waking moment was either pretending to be fine or plotting her parents’ demise. There weren’t many hours left in the day afterward to do much with.

Arlet sat on a bench beside Khort, watching Marlena with intent.

Marlena scoffed. “I have no problem with her. Vega is the one acting like a child.”

Vega’s jaw dropped, but before she could storm forward, Bridger put his arm out in front of her. “No, we aren’t doing this. You want to train? We train. And if you need to beat the shit out of each other to do so, I’ll take it. In the ring. Now.”

Bridger Dimico was going to be a hell of a commander one day.

Marlena raised a brow, nodding towards the mat with a cocky smirk.

Vega stared at her with a look she’d never seen before. Of course they bickered growing up, but nothing usually lasted more than a night. Whatever Vega was harboring this time still hadn’t had the time to flicker out.

Vega let out a huff and leaned through the ropes, centering herself in the middle of the ring. Out of the whole group, Vega was the one most trained in hand-to-hand combat. And she should be, seeing as though she’d been fucking the commander’s son for a year.

Marlena could hold her own though. She’d taken the training they’d been doing the most seriously… because she knew when and how it would come in handy.

Marlena unsheathed the two daggers at her thigh and let them clatter on the table Arlet and Khort sat near.

“Don’t think you’ll need those, huh?” Vega asked, her tone cheeky.

Marlena stepped into the ring, leaning her head against both sides of her shoulders. The joints around her neck popped, loosening up the muscles. “I don’t plan on stabbing you in the heart, so no, I don’t think they’re necessary for me to win this match.”

Vega kept her daggers in place as Bridger began to talk again. “You know the rules. No powers in the ring. Don’t make me intervene.” He climbed the side of the ring, positioning himself high enough where he could see clearly, and he started counting down. Before he got to one, the sisters had already circled around the mat, their eyes locked in a death stare.

Marlena raked her thumb over her fingers, popping her knuckles one by one, and waited for her sister to make the first move. She had to be on defense when in the ring with her, had to watch her every move.

Vega had been training with the greatest warrior Tolevarre had ever seen… and her new battle skills proved it. She faked a jump forward, causing Marlena to flinch. Her reaction made Vega laugh. Marlena’s blood boiled, threatening to spill over and scorch everything it touched.

She’s mad at me for telling her the truth. If she only fucking knew…

Marlena didn’t wait for Vega to lunge again, deciding to take a page out of Vega’s own book. “Strike first. Don’t give them the chance to outsmart you before the fight even begins.”

As if Vega was ready for it, she dodged Marlena with ease and used the forward momentum Marlena had been riding to trip her up. Marlena fell to the mat with a thud that echoed through the room.

“Nice!” Khort pounded on something from behind, leading in the hooting and hollering of the crowd starting to form around them. It was early morning, and soldiers were starting to trickle in for their training sessions.

Marlena hopped up quickly, not giving Vega enough time to land another blow. She clenched her teeth, realizing she had to get inside Vega’s head. It was the only way she could stop her from focusing on every single move she made. “Is that all you’ve got?”

Vega grumbled. “Shall I remind you how many times you’ve lost to me during a sparring session? Or do you not want people to know that the future leader of Amora can’t fight her way out of a corner?”

“Ooooohhhh,” people around the ring sang in unison, a few snickers mixed in.

Marlena barked a laugh. “Don’t get too cocky, sweet sister. It’s not a good look on you.” She blocked Vega’s next move, landing a blow to her face with the tip of her elbow.

Blood ran down Vega’s nose. She wiped it away with the palm of her hand, smearing red across her cheek while it continued to trickle to the mat underneath their feet. “Says the cockiest woman I know.”

It was working. Marlena was getting under her skin, which meant she would start to lose focus—it was Vega’s biggest weakness on the mat. Bridger had pointed it out a few weeks ago, and Marlena was honing in on that little piece of knowledge.

“I like to call it confidence.” Marlena leapt forward with a jab to Vega’s side. She hunched over, giving Marlena just enough time to swipe her leg under her feet and bring her to the ground.